Searching for God in Community

On the 8th July, Sr. Maria celebrated 25 years of religious profession as a Bernardine Cistercian sister. The Mass was celebrated at Hyning in the afternoon, followed by a buffet lunch. Her family and friends were present to celebrate with the community. The main celebrant was her brother, Fr. Joseph and the homily was given by Fr. John McGowan, OCD. Here are some photos of the wonderful celebrations of the day.

On Friday 14th April, Good Friday, Sr. Mary Stella and Sr. Michaela will be on Radio Lancashire talking about Holy Week in the monastery. We will be on between 1 - 2 pm, we are not sure of the exact time but we were interviewed by Joe Wilson for a programme on Holy Week in the North West.

There will be a Memorial Mass for S Mary Stephen who died in January on Tues 2nd May 6.30pm at St Bernard's RC Grammar School, Slough. All are welcome to attend and share in the celebration. If you are definitely going to attend it would be helpful to know in advance. Contact S. Elizabeth Mary at Brownshill for more details sisterelizabethmary@yahoo.co.uk

Please share this information if you know someone who would like to share the celebration of her life.

On Friday, 27th Jan 2017 until Sunday, 29th Jan 2017, we held the Monastic Experience Weekend. Four young women spent the weekend with us. They came from different backgrounds and nations, but they all blended together so well that they gave the impression that it seems as if they have known each other before. They joined the community for the celebration of the Divine Office and Mass. They also did some manual work as well as sharing the daily life with the sisters, including some meals .

During this event, Sr. Maria and Sr. Mary Stella, who led the event and assisted the four women, reflected on community life according to the Rule of St. Benedict.

They appreciated the event very much and hopefully will have found it helpful for a deepening oftheir life of faith. We pray for many young people who are discerning their future, especially those who are considering religious life that the light of Christ may lead and strengthen them.

As we celebrated the Feast of Sts. Robert, Alberic and Stephen Harding, the founder fathers of the Cistercian Order, we accompanied Sr. Mary Stephen to her final place of rest. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Michael McKenna as the chief celebrant, concelebrated by Fr. Peter Craddy OCSO who gave the homily. We were joined by our sisters from Brownshill and several other guests. The burial was followed by tea together in the Guests Dining Room.

We thank you for all who have prayed with us for Sr. Mary Stephen and all her relatives. May she rest in peace.

Message from Sr. Elizabeth Mary for all those who knew Sr. Mary Stephen

I think that many of you have now heard the news that S M Stephen died very peacefully in her sleep at 5am on Thursday. There was no distress, no struggle, no pain..........she very simply 'slipped away' into the Lord whom she had loved and served all her life.

In many ways, this was unexpected as she had picked up a little in the last week, getting down to Mass both Monday and Tuesday mornings. But she was very very frail.....

Sorry to all those for whom this message will come as a shock. We would love to speak to you all personally, but it is not possible. The Community is keeping you all in our prayers as the news filters through various friendship groups, social media networks etc.......

S M Stephen's Requiem Mass will be celebrated this Wednesday (25th) at 11.30a.m. at the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception in Stroud (GL5 4AA). All are welcome, but please be prepared to squeeze up as necessary and perhaps even stand. There is no parking at the Church but it is in the centre of the small town so any of the town's car parks are suitable. Alternatively, it is a shortish walk from both the train and bus station.

After Mass, there will be tea/coffee and sandwiches in the Church Hall (have plucked a number out of the sky for the caterers!) so please do join us.

We are VERY grateful to Canon Tom Gunning for his generous welcome in the Parish and for all that he and his parishioners are doing to facilitate the funeral.

On Wednesday afternoon after the funeral Mass, the Community will drive up to Hyning. We have a beautiful cemetery there,in the corner of Hyning's lovely garden, overlooking Ingleborough and the other north Pennine peaks. Thursday is, for us, the Feast of the Cistercian Founders, Ss Robert, Alberic and Stephen Harding and S M Stephen will be buried after Mass there on,coincidentally her own feastday.

With our gratitude for all the messages of loving prayerful sympathy.....and with our best wishes and prayers for all of you saddened by this news......

Today is the feast of St. Aelred of Rievaulx, a 12th century Cistercian monk from Yorkshire, abbot of the Abbey of Rievaulx. AS a form Lancastrian it goes against the grain to say his is one of my favourite saints, "Can anything good come from that place??" But his writings and ideas are still relevant for today.

What could an obscure twelfth century monk teach 21st century Christians about relationships today? I firmly believe that Aelred has something to say to our society today, our society of networking and quick and easy friendship on social networks especially. He speaks to those who probe the human need for intimacy, for deep human relationships based on self-disclosure and mutual acceptance, because he provides us with a Christo-centric view of these relationships. So what was originally written for monastics in the twelfth century could be utilised today to help us come to a Christian understanding of how to relate to each other.

I think his idea that human friendship is especially important because of the idea that human friendships lead to God. It is in each other that we meet God’s love, Aelred is saying to us today. He didn’t always choose the best, or the holiest as friends but showed his compassion for the weak and possibly more temperamental members of the community. Neither was he the strongest or the best himself. That, I think, should give us hope too, that we don’t always have to strive to be the best, or the most prayerful or the most holy Christian. We just have to be ourselves!In Christian friendship each one shares, each listens, each gives and receives; it is an adult relationship. He emphasises the equality of those involved in a spiritual relationship and the responsibility of each for how it develops, matures and its depths, because the response we encounter in these relationships is a microcosmic image of what we shall discover eternally in God.“He was a man whose love was great enough to prove that greatness does not need to be brutal, and that to be a saint, one does not have to despise human affections.”1

He made room for friends who spoke their mind, who never tried to please him just because he was Abbot and accepted him also for who he was. Spiritual friendship can grow in crisis and challenge and Aelred understood that. He also understood that we are all difficult in some ways but all capable of being friends with God and each other. Developing understanding of the other leads to acceptance and a growth in love. All of this takes place in the love of Christ that embraces true friendship.

He made room for friends who spoke their mind, who never tried to please him just because he was Abbot and accepted him also for who he was. Spiritual friendship can grow in crisis and challenge and Aelred understood that. He also understood that we are all difficult in some ways but all capable of being friends with God and each other. Developing understanding of the other leads to acceptance and a growth in love. All of this takes place in the love of Christ that embraces true friendship.

Pope Francis in his homily for the feast of the Epiphany spoke about these three Kings who, he said, “personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home, their heavenly homeland.”

They reflect, he added, “the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts become anaesthetised.”

Like these kings, the Pope explained, “a holy longing for God helps us keep alert in the face of every attempt to reduce and impoverish our life. That longing keeps hope alive in the community of believers, which from week to week continues to plead: “Come, Lord Jesus”.”

Longing for God, continued the Holy Father, “has its roots in the past yet does not remain there: it reaches out to the future. Pope Francis said, “believers who feel this longing are led by faith to seek God, as the Magi did, in the most distant corners of history, for they know that there the Lord awaits them. They go to the peripheries, to the frontiers, to places not yet evangelized, to encounter their Lord.”

But the Pope noted, “an entirely different attitude reigned in the palace of Herod, … He slept, anaesthetised by a cauterised conscience. He was bewildered, afraid. It is the bewilderment which, when faced with the newness that revolutionises history, closes in on itself and its own achievements, its knowledge, its successes.” A bewilderment, the Holy Father stressed, “born of fear and foreboding before anything that challenges us, calls into question our certainties and our truths, our ways of clinging to the world and this life.”

The Magi, underlined Pope Francis, “had to discover that what they sought was not in a palace, but elsewhere, both existentially and geographically. There, in the palace, they did not see the star guiding them to discover a God who wants to be loved. For only under the banner of freedom, not tyranny, the Pope said, “is it possible to realize that the gaze of this unknown but desired king does not abase, enslave, or imprison us.”

It is a merciful gaze, noted the Pope, that heals, forgives, and comforts those who suffer.

What the Magi found in Bethlehem concluded Pope Francis. “was a promise of newness. There something new was taking place. The Magi were able to worship, because they had the courage to set out. And as they fell to their knees before the small, poor and vulnerable Infant, the unexpected and unknown Child of Bethlehem, they discovered the glory of God.”

The Hyning Christmas newsletter is finally online. Sr. Michaela is in France at the moment so please excuse the lack of recent news. There are regular updates though on our Facebook page and our Group page. Why not have a look there as well if you are a member. If you click on the link below it will take you to our Christmas newsletter!

This weekend we are holding an Icon exhibition. There will be a series of talks and viewings over the weekend. The first talk is at 7:15 pm on Friday. Contact Sr Mary Bernard for a full listing or check out our event info on Facebook, there is no need to book beforehand. Refreshments are available at various times. There is an extra talk on Saturday morning, 10:30 am. #Bernardines #iconexhibition #hyning

On October 8th Sr. Reina (formerly Irene) made her profession for 3 years as a Bernardine Cistercian. Our Chaplain, Fr. Michael, was the main celebrant and Fr. Peter, the chaplain at Brownshill gave a lovely sermon. The service was followed by cake and afternoon tea. The slideshow below shows some of the images from the service.

On Saturday the 10th of September, we had the joy of celebrating the Golden Profession of Sr. Mary Stella. About 90 people were there to celebrate with us. Mass was at 11:30 AM. Fr.John McGowan OCD was the main celebrant and Fr. Peter Craddy OCSO gave the homily. Fr. Michael, our chaplain, and Fr. John Gibson, our local parish priest concelebrated. The mass was followed by buffet lunch which ended with the customary cutting of the cake. Sr. Mary Stella was joined by members of her family, former staff and students from #St.Bernard's Slough, oblates, and members of the gardening and icon groups along with many others! (Fortunately, the new kitchen was ready just on time!) We are still waiting for more photos, here are just a few, including one of the cake.

We are coming to the end of our kitchen refurbishment and we hope to have pictures up by the end of the week.

Over the past few weeks, most of the community has been away to various places. Sr.Mary Stella went to France to celebrate her Jubilee, 50 years of profession, Sr.Maria and the novitiate from both houses were there with her. Sr.Hilda, who is based at Brownshill, didn't go with the rest of the novitiate as she is now in Rome for a course with the Cistercian Juniors. On the 19th of August, she renewed her vows for 2 years. Three of the community had already gone to Brownshill before the kitchen was gutted and the rest of the community bar two went to Brownshill for the annual retreat. Most of the community are now back, ready for the reopening of the Guest House.

The big event of this week is the Jubilee at 11:300 AM on Saturday. Those of you who are coming would be advised to check for local traffic diversions. There is work being done on the bridges in Carnforth (Millhead) which means it is not possible to come through Warton Village to get to Hyning. It is still possible to come through the A6 and up Borwick Lane. If in doubt, please ring for instructions.

We hope that those of you who had a break during the summer had a restful and peaceful time and we look forward to see you all again in the coming weeks.

From July 22nd, 2016 to Sept 11th , 2016 the Guest House at Hyning will be closed due to the Kitchen Refurbishment and Community Retreat. If you are popping in during this time, it would be helpful to ring beforehand to check times of Mass and Church Services. We hope to put up pictures of the Kitchen Refurbishment as it progresses.

Last week we mentioned that the Prayer and Gardening Week was taking place and we promised some pictures. Here they are! Lots of activity was taking place around the garden, including the Grand Sweep and the front of the house. The weather was varied, but the group were valiant in their commitment. The numbers of the group varied from 11 to 18 because some of them came for the day only. Have a look at their pictures below. The next Prayer and Gardening week will be in October. More details to follow.

Today we are celebrating the feast of St. Benedict. St.Benedict was the founder of the Benedictines. When the Cistercians reformed the Benedictines, they renewed the life but kept the strict observance of the Rule. When the Bernardines were founded, we kept the Rule of St.Benedict as the main Rule which we still follow today.

Toward the end of June, Irene joined the Cistercian Junior Course at Roscrea, Ireland. The course was about The Psalms. There were 11 participants, including 3 Bernardines. see the picture below and see if you could recognize us!

The radical gift of oneself to God, loved and served for Himself alone, listening to His Word, and a humble attentiveness to His presence in all human beings and in events, are the characteristics of this life; its sole aim is the search for God, lived out in Community.